Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-10-23
diamonds had been nothing but paste

seems TO be leaving for the country.
Shall / follow her? said the telegram.
Certainly, and wire address when you
reach her destination, " Ireplied.
That evening | had the address
quiet village in one OF the midland
counties, ard next morning ! surprised
Miss Wright by presenting myself be-
fore her.
what do you want with me?" she
asked, with an anxious expression. -
know nothing about the diamonds-l
don't, indeed.
II don't say you dol don't think
you do" ! replied. "AlI | want to
know Is, what do you think of this
drawing 2" O laid the sketch | had
received from the ieweller before her
as spoke.) "is it fair likeness OF
ole OF your mistress's earrings ?"
81 don't know ; it is not very like,
she answered slowly.
"You thought 1t very like yester-
day." said l.
She started. Perhaps thought so
at first" she replied.
1t was plain that the girl had been
told to hold her tongue.
"Why did you come down here?" |
asked.
"This is my home" she answered
with some heat. =" My mistress gave
me a months holiday yesterday"
There was no more to be got out OF
her, and after telling my man that he
need not devote himself 10 watching
the girls movements any longer, L re-
turned to London determined to clear
M the mystery if l possibly could,
whether the diamonds were real or not,
After some little thought | resolved
to visit every one Of the diamond mer-
chants in the metropolis. | argued that
if the French woman (Nho, as | be-
lieved, had had one of Lady Pinker
tons earrings in her possession) had
taken out the real diamonds and sub
stituted paste ones she would hardly
make a second attempt to pass them
off for real ones; but if she
had been ignorant of the real character
Of the brilliants, it was more than likely
that she would try to get another
opinion as 10 their true value. With
this idea in my head | visited one dia-
mond-merchant's shop after another till
at last ! found a man in a quiet street
off Holborn, who remembered an ell
DERBY French woman calling and show
ing him pair of earrings, just about
the time when the West-End jeweller
had bad the trinket offered TO him.
"Was it anything like this ?" asked,
producing the sketch which the jewel
Ter bad made for me.
"That Is very like it, as far as | re-
member, WAS the answer. The lady
said she did not want to part with the
ear-riugs-she only wanted to know
whether tine stones were real or not. D
As the diamond merchant was speak
ing The door opened, and short, stout
woman. dressed in black and wearing
J a thick black veil, entered the room.
/ The jcwcller threw NE glance as he
went forward to meet the stranger.
"You were 50 very kind, she began,
! speaking with slight French accent,
cps to give me an opinion about a
trinket a short time AGO. viii you be
so good as to tell me whether these
stones are real ?" As she spoke size
laid cross of brillaints on the table.
Just glanced at it. 1t corresponded
exactly to the description had had of
Lazy Pinkerton's diamond pendant.
lhe diamond-merchant took up the
cross.
"They are only paste, said he, after
a moments glance at the ornament.
81 never saw better limitations, but not
one Of these stones is real.
The lady seemed greatly disappoint-
ed. She thanked the jeweller and left
the shop. Of course L followed her
home, and arrested her on her own
doorstep. She was, l found, Madame
Brancilleau. fashionable dressmaker.
In one of her boxes found whole set
of diamond ornaments-necklace, pen
dant, tiara, and earrings, complete.
Madame Brancilleau burst into tears
and loudly protested her innocence,
/ but refused to give any account OF the
/ Jewels until she was convinced that We
meant to take her to the police-station.
! Then the whole truth came out. The
ornaments had been given her by Lady
Pinkerton herself Her ladyship had
found it impossible to array herself as
became a woman of fashion upon the
very slender allowance which she re-
ceived from her husband for that pur-
pose and had run up a tremendous
bill at Madame Drancilleau's. The
dressmaker, who had lost money in
some foolish investments she had made,
pressed the lady for payment. Lady
PinkertOn was at her wits end. She
dared not let her husband know of her
extravaganza, and. as she did not be-
lleve that he would pay her debts, there
was little use in applying to him. Al
last, on the very day of her starting for
Northumberland, she gave the jewels
to the dressmakor III payment of heI
debt, the French woman undertaking
to dispose of the stones separately.
Thus the trinkets bad never been in the
level. case at all, and Lady Pinkerton
gave out that she had been robbed in or
der to account to her husband and the
world for the loss of her diamonds.
Lady PinkertOn was astOunded t.
hear that her magnificent diamonds
were nothing but paste, and after some
trouble she had persuaded Madame TO
submit the pendant to an expert fol-
examination. This, at least, she thought
might be real.
On hearing this story took the
Frenchwoman and the false diamonds
straight to Lord Plnkerton's house.
His lordship and Lady Pinkerton were
together.
expected q scene, but the lady was
equal to the occasion. She went straight
to the heart of the matter.
"John," she said, speaking to hel
husband, "you must have sold my dia-
monds and had paste put in their place
soon after we were married. Lord
Pinkerton started, blushed violently,
and said nothing.l You really ought
to have mentioned it, and then all this
fuss would have been saved. think
the best thing you can do now is tc
pay this good woman's bill, and give
poor Wright check for fifty pounds, az
some compensation for the trouble we
have been the means of causing her
Oh, yes; insist on it Don't go,
Madame, and Lord Plnkerton will
white you check. "
OF course his lordship could not
afford to let the story get abroad. sc
(after q severe inward struggle) he did
as he was told. Shortly afterward Lady